Ten Theories on How Magic Might Be Real

Description

For centuries people have believed in magic, yet today science cannot detect anything truly magical. While this could be a failure in the methods of science itself, it remains true that there is little obviously magical to point to in our daily lives (besides the metaphorical magics of love, life, coincidence, and sleight-of-hand). However, I propose that magic is, or at least was, real.

I will look at the nature of the universe from an open-minded, hypothetical, and rational standpoint and explore such possibilities as galactic cycles of magical energy, magical entropy, and changing universal constants; the existence of many worlds; examples of magic that are themselves hidden by magic; the idea that lost knowledge, ingredients, or currently untapped human abilities prevent magic from being practiced; and the concept of a universe-filling matrix of computational matter that is so advanced and pervasive that, once tapped, effectively creates a truly magical reality.

My slides will be a combination of diagrams illustrating key concepts in the ten theories of magic and photographic evidence of our ongoing obsession with magic (including unicorn poster and panther-riding-ladies painted on the sides of vans). The goal is to open our minds to the possibility of magic in real life and to prepare us for its possible return!

Nat Sims

Nat Sims is the founder and principal of Night & Day Studios. He has been a content developer and media designer for 20 years, creating software, exhibits, stories, games, and music. Nat studied graphic and interface design at Hampshire College and earned his master’s degree at the University of California San Diego in cultural studies and cognitive science. He has been contemplating magical reality since he first read The Hobbit at age 8.